Nestled within the esteemed halls of The Metropolitan Museum of Art resides a resplendent artefact from Ancient Egypt: the jewellery chest of Princess Sithathoryunet. Crafted during the Middle Kingdom, specifically the 12th Dynasty (c.1887–1813 B.C.), this exquisite chest exemplifies the opulence and artistry of its era. Discovered in a concealed niche within Sithathoryunet’s tomb near...
Amid the chaos and turmoil of World War II, as the world was gripped by conflict and uncertainty, a dazzling revelation emerged from the sands of antiquity—a discovery that would captivate archaeologists and historians alike. In 1940, in the remnants of Tanis, an ancient city shrouded in mystery within Egypt’s Nile Delta, French archaeologist Pierre...
This is a solid-cast silver statuette of a falcon headed deity with a plaited wig inlaid with lapis lazuli. The figure almost definitely would have been used as a cult statue and was originally covered in sheet gold, some of which still remains. Hieroglyphic texts and temple reliefs show that the ancient Egyptians included divine...
This silver diadem was thought to have come from Nubkheperre Intef’s Dra’ Abu el-Naga tomb. Nubkheperre Intef (also known as Antef, Inyotef, and Intef VI) was an Egyptian ruler of the 17th Dynasty of Egypt who reigned in Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided into rival dynasties, including the Hyksos in...
Gilded silver amulet shows the Kushite Queen Nefrukakashta being embraced and nursed by a goddess, probably Hathor.Nubian, Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy (Piye), c. 743–712 B.C.From el-Kurru, Ku 52 (tomb of Queen Nefrukekashta)Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 24.928 The Hathor suckling the Kushite Queen Nefrukakashta sculpture is a fascinating example of Egyptian art, specifically from...
This bangle dates from the Middle Kingdom Period, c.2055-1650 B.C. and was found in Egypt, exact location unknown. It is made from a concoction of beaten, cast and soldered gold, with golden and silver amulets of Ancient Egyptian religious iconography such as, the Wadjet Eye and Djed Pillar, alongside animals such as a hare and...
This group of objects was found in a plundered chamber in Tomb MMA 840, excavated by Herbert Eustis Winlock (1884-1950), an archeologist who worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reached by a shaft in the portico of a rock-cut tomb in the Asasif section of the Theban necropolis. Among the finds were parts of...
Silver statuette of Harpocrates, with gold chain and ring. The god is shown as a chubby Graeco-Roman Cupid with wings and a heavy garland of fruit and leaves crowning his curly head. The left hand is empty, but the right is raised to the chin. A gold chain with a god ring attached to it...
This may have been a statue from a temple of Nefertem. Large silver statues are very rare in ancient Egypt. The god of perfume, Nefertem, was also a god of healing who was said to have eased the suffering of the aging sun god Re with a bouquet of sacred lotus. Nefertem therefore not only...
Two similar silver bracelets found in an anonymous tomb in the Valley of the Kings together with other items belonging to King Seti II and his consort, Queen Twosret . Each bracelet is composed of two parts joined by a hinge and a clasp. The main part is decorated with a scene that shows the...
